Family of 11-month-old who died at children’s hospital looking for accountability

Eleven-month-old Bobby Iqaluq was born three months premature in January 2025 and was given a tracheotomy to help him breathe.

His biological mother, Mina Iqaluq, says that with the lack of medical resources in her home of Nunavut, she and her husband felt a foster home for Bobby would give him the best chance at a healthy life.

“The day I decided to put him in foster care was the hardest. But I’m really glad I did cause they found the right person to be a foster mom, and she’s such a loving person. And she did everything she could,” she explained.

And that right person was Dana Ryz, a nurse.

“She really loved her baby. She just wasn’t given the opportunity,” said Ryz.

Ryz became Bobby’s foster mom in September 2025. On November 4, 2025, Ryz says Bobby was admitted to the children’s hospital for a viral infection. The hospital treated Bobby for Pseudomonas, a condition that can affect skin, blood, lungs, and other parts of the body.

At the time, Ryz, with her nursing background, questioned the antibiotics prescribed to Bobby, claiming they weren’t strong enough, and after being discharged, Ryz felt the trach ties around Bobby’s neck were tied too tightly. When she took the ties off the next morning, she says, his neck was extremely red.

“The next morning, the trach tie was completely green, which is Pseudomonas. Which would tell me that the antibiotic he received at the hospital did not treat his Pseudomonas effectively,” Ryz explained.

She says Bobby spiked a very high fever, and thought he could have sepsis.

On the morning of November 13, Ryz arrived at the children’s hospital with Bobby and claims that doctors told her it was just a “rash”.

Five and a half hours after Bobby was admitted to the children’s hospital, the 11-month-old went into cardiac arrest and died.

“I’m a nurse, so I wanted to believe that they were going to fix this. Like, please fix this. Like, help him. Just because he looks strong to you right now doesn’t mean he doesn’t need help. But that was it. They just thought he was, he looked great, he’s doing great, and I’m like, you’re wrong,” said Ryz.

In a statement to CityNews, Shared Health said the matter was reviewed by medical experts not directly involved in the case, who determined the patient was treated appropriately.

Iqaluq has this message for them: “Babies can’t talk, but I hope they start listening to them. Because my baby didn’t have a voice. People got to start listening.”

The family is looking for accountability from the healthcare system and seeks the truth. They are hoping the hospital opens a new investigation and that this never happens again.